Giacomo Carissimi
Giacomo Carissimi (baptized April 18, 1605 – January 12, 1674) was an Italian composer, one of the most celebrated masters of the early Baroque, or, more accurately, the Roman School of music. Giacomo Carissimi in 1632 Giacomo Carissimi was the disciple of Jesuit Reverend Father Thomas Fitzherbert and under his wing had been taught to learn the English language. Carissimi first heard of Grantville from Giulio Mazarini, who presented Carissimi with information about modern music sheets. Mazarini then asked Carissimi to travel to Grantville and learn about their music. Initially, Carissimi was reluctant as he was unaccustomed to long-distance travel, but he finally agreed to Mazarini's proposal. Carissimi still needed funding. He turned first to the Society of Jesus, but as they had not reached a position on Grantville, they could only offer lodgings along the way. He then applied to Cardinal Scipione Borghese for a donation of two hundred scudi; however, the Cardinal did not like the idea of financing trips to such a mysterious place, particularly one whose soldiers had repeatedly defeated Catholic armies. After consulting Mazarini and another friend, Il Bamboccio, Carissimi decided to find a wealthy partner to fund this enterprise. He sought out unscrupulous music instrument-maker Girolamo Zenti. However, even this option proved fruitless. Two weeks later, Carissimi was approached by renowned composer Stefano Landi, who'd also been approached by Mazarini to visit Grantville. The elderly Landi had declined to make the trip, but as he was curious about the culture of Grantville, he agreed to fund Carissimi as his intermediary. Carissimi immediately suspected Landi wanted him to act as a spy, but Landi assured him he only needed to observe. Carissimi then accepted the offer. Traveling to Grantville Carissimi left Rome on a hot day in June with three Jesuits Matthias Kramer, Dietrich Adler and Heinrich Schultheis. He was also joined by Girolamo Zenti, who asked Carissimi to call him "Carlo Beomonte." Carissimi later learned that the artisan had run afoul of the son of the Marquis Casati over gambling debt that led to a fracas, leaving Zenti a fugitive on the run. Carissimi feared that his association with Zenti could cause him trouble, but Zenti announced that he'd grown tired of serving aristocrats and saw Grantville as a place that would value his skills. Carissimi's sympathy for Zenti outweighed his fears, and he allowed Zenti to travel with the group. They reached an additional agreement wherein Zenti would teach Carissimi horse riding, and Carissimi would teach Zenti how to speak English and German. Carissimi and Zenti traveled throughout a remarkable trek to the Alps. Upon arriving in Schlanders, the two joined musician Johannes Fichtold, who was returning back home in Fussen after having finished his apprenticeship in Padua. The trio then travel to Glurns where they found it spoiled by rotten corpses and came upon a military checkpoint guarded by Jaegers, who are loyal to the Holy Roman Emperor. It is learned from the militia that the corpses they saw are bandits and deserters from Count Tilly's fallen army. They are also told they must pay a costly fee to pass. Zenti voiced his objection, but Carissimi silenced his friend's protest and sternly agreed to paying their passage. The group then arrived in Fussen where they are offer shelter by Fichtold's brother Hans, a respected member of the lute makers' guild. After three days, the group, along with Johannes, who decided to come with them to see Grantville and to expand his brother's business interests, left Fussen for Bavaria, where they saw the public angst from the Bavarian people and other refugees afflicted by the Thirty Years' War. Within three days they reached Donauworth where they learned about the town being garrisoned by Duke Maximilian's army against the Swedes, who were few leagues away from the town - which didn't help their passage. The group then decided to pay for a barge to travel on the Danube river to Ingolstadt. After arriving at and leaving Ingolstadt, they headed on a road to Nuremberg, where on the second day met a squad of Swedish troops accompanied by an American. This encounter made Carissimi and his companions joyously realize they had arrived near Grantville (on July 1633). Carissimi introduced himself and his friends to the squad and produced Mazarini's letters of introduction to confirm their presence in Grantville. Category:Historical Figures Category:Italians Category:Died of Natural Causes (OTL) Category:Catholics Category:Composers